Button sewing aid



Aug. 5, 1952 A. o. HOEFLE 2,605,943

BUTTON SEWING AID Filed Jan. 11, 1947 INVENTOR. ARMAND o. HOEFLE Patented Aug. 5, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTTON SEWING AID, Armand 0. Hoefie, Cincinnati, Ohio Application January 11, 1947, Serial No. 721567 N 3 Claims.

. a button supporting material.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a device for facilitating attachment of buttons, each having a length of thread associated therewith, to garments, and so forth, by means of an easy-to-thread needle element. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a needle element which includes a chamber into which the end of a length of thread may be inserted for introduction thru a button supporting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device having the hereinabove described characteristics and which also includes a housing for maintaining threaded buttons in a side-by-side ready-for-use relationship.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device for facilitating the attachment'of buttons to a, button supporting surface, which device includes a pair of needle elements which are laterally spaced apart by a dimension approximating the spacing of the thread holes of a button to be attached, said needles being so designed as to facilitate the introduction of the ends of a length of thread associated with a button through the button supporting material for enabling a knot to be tied on that side of the material opposite from the button.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a combination button holderand threader embodying the teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. l. v V

Fig. 4 is an enlarged'sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a double needle threader embodying the teachings of the present invention.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of a button with a length of attaching thread passed through its thread receptive holes.

Fig. 8 is a view, partly in section, illustrating how the needle elements are utilized for intro- 2 ducing the ends of a length of thread through a button supporting surface.

Fig. 9 is a magnified view of a piece of fabric pierced by a needle element illustrating how the threads are separated ordisplaced by the piercing portion of a needle element.

With reference now to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the present device may be fabricated from a sheet of metal, plastic or other suitable material, whereby to provide a button housing or holder Hi and a so-called needle portion H.

As best disclosed in Fig; 5, the button housing may comprise an elongated bottom wall I 2, the

width dimension of which approximates the diameter of a button l3 to be housed therein, and the length dimension of which is a multiple of the diameter of said button. The side edges Id of bottom wall 12 are turned upwardly and thence over in spaced relationship with th bottom wall for providing a pair of opposed laterally spaced overhanging lips l5 which define a button receptivechannel in whichbuttons l3 may be mounted in the side-by-side relationship indicated in Fig.1. I

With reference now to. Fig. '7 it will be noted that buttons l3 have associated therewith a length of thread 20 which is passed thru the thread receptive apertures of the button and which may be tied in a knot denoted generally by the numeral 2| for securing each length of thread to an individual button. The ends of thread 20 may be tapered as at 23 or they may be tubular in form as illustrated at 25.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the thread ends 23 and25 may be provided with a suitable hardening material, such as shellac, plastic or the like for providing a stifiened tip on the ends of the thread, for a purpose hereinafter more fully described. v I

It will be -understood that a plurality of buttons, eac h ofwhich are provided with a length of thread as indicated in Fig. '7, may be mounted in button housing [0. a

The needle portion ll may comprise a pair of laterally spaced needle elements 30, each of which comprises a substantially U -shaped shank portion 32, the lower end of which terminates in a'tapered piercing portion 34. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tapered piercing portion as is hollow, see Fig. 4, for at least a portion of the overall length of said piercing portion, whereby to provide a thread-end receptive chamber 44, access to which chamber is controlled by means of the open portion 36 of shank 32.

It should be noted that the lateral spacing of the needle elements approximates the spacing of the thread holes of button l3 whereby holes pierced by said needle elements will be in substantial alignment with said button holes.

In Fig. 6 a modified form of threader is illustrated, which includes a pair of hollow shanks 40, the ends of which are provided with a tapered piercing portion 42, wherein each piercing portion is provided with a chamber 44. An aperture 46 is provided in shank portion 40 adjacent that end of taper portion 42 remote from piercing point 48. Access to the interior of chamber 44 is by way of aperture 46, it being understood that apertures 46 and chamber 44 are dimensioned to receive the end of a length of thread. If desired, a thread cuttin element 50 may be associated with shanks 40, said element being designed to maintain the shanks in predetermined spaced relationship and including a thread severing edge 52.

With reference now to Fig. 8, it will be noted that the ends '25 of the thread 20 are receivable within aperture 46 and chamber -44 of needle elements 42, which needle elements may then be inserted thru a piece of button supporting material '50. V have been received within chambers 44, incident to this piercing operation, said ends will not be crumpled up but will be maintained in their original condition. By introducing needle elements 40 further thru material 50, it becomes a simple matter to remove the tips of the thread from chamber '44, which tips may be then held while the needle elements are withdrawn upwardly thru the fabric. The ends of the thread may then be pulled downwardly for pulling the excess of thread 20 through the material and for 10- cating the button in proper position, after which the thread may be tied, on that side of the material opposite from the button for securely fastening the button "in place.

It should be understood that'any type and color of thread may be used, however, in order to facilitate the ease with which the thread ends may be inserted into chamber 44 of the piercing points, I prefer to stiffen the ends although such procedure is for convenience'only.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tapered portions 34 and 42 are so proportioned as to effect a separation of the threads from which a button supporting material maybe fabricated incident to the introduction of the needle elements therethrough without rupturing or severing said threads, see Fig. 9.

It will be further noted that when needle elements 4ll have been introduced through a button supporting material, such as 50, by an amount sufficient to locate' the uppermost portionsof aperture 46 through the undersurface o'f'button supporting material, the thread ends 25 will be automatically lifted outwardly from chambers 44, thereby presenting said thread 'end'sin-an easyto-grasp manner.

It should be understood that various'modifications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Inasmuch as the ends of the thread What is claimed is:

1. A sewing device for buttons including a button magazine for mounting buttons in a side by side relationship and comprising a sheet of material formed to provide an elongated bottom wall the width dimension of which approximates the diameter of a button and the length dimension of which is a multiple of the diameter of such a button, the side edges of said bottom wall being turned upwardly and thence over in spaced relationship therewith to provide a pair of opposed, laterally spaced overhanging lips for defining a button receptive channel, and needle elements formed integral therewith and projecting forwardly from said bottom wall.

2. In a device of the class described a combination button magazine and needle element for introducing the end of a length of thread through button supporting material, said device comprising a magazine for slidably supportingbuttons in an in-line and sid'e-by-Side relationship, and a needle element attached thereto including a shank portion terminating in a hollow, threadend receptive piercing portion, said shank portion having a thread receptive aperture provided therein above and in open communication with the interior of said hollow piercing portion.

3. Asewing device for mounting a plurality of buttons each of which are provided with a length of thread passing through their respective thread receptive holes in side-by-side relationship, said device comprising a sheet of material formed to provide an elongated bottom wall the width dimension of which approximates the diameter of a button and the length dimension of which is a multiple of the diameter of such a button, the side edges of said bottom wall'being turned upwardly and thence over in-spaced relationship therewith to provide a pair of opposed, laterally spaced overhanging lips for defining a button receptive channel, and needle elements formed integral therewith and projecting forwardly from said bottom wallfsaid elements each including a shank portion which terminate in a tapered piercing portion wherein a portion of said tapered portion is provided with a thread-end receptive chamber access to which is by way of said shank portion.

ARMAND O. HOEF'LE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date 359,631 Prentice Mar. 22, 1837 802,010 Miller et a1. Oct. 17, 1905 1,380,733 Moore June 7, 1921 1,731,556 Wren et al. Oct. 15, 1929 1,943,174 Gagnon Jan. 9, 1934 1,951,516 Lyons Mar. 20, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,966 Great Britain 1911 139,737 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1930 

